Fabricated corner construction



Nov. 22, 1966 R COHEN 3,287,041

FABRICAI'ED CORNER CONSTRUCTION Filed Sept. 4, 1964 FIG.

INVENTOR MILTON R. COHEN United States Patent 3,287,041 FABRICATED CORNER CONSTRUCTION Milton R. Cohen, 200 E. 71st St., New York, N.Y. Filed Sept. 4, 1964, Ser. No. 394,543 3 Claims. (Cl. 287l89.36)

This invention relates generally to a fabricated corner construction and more particularly to a rounded sheet metal corner of one-piece construction.

This invention is especially adapted for use in aquarium constructions and is an improvement over the construction in US. Patent 2,792,811, issued May 21, 1957. In the aforesaid patent, as shown especially in FIG. 2 thereof, the rounded corner is essentially of a three-piece construction consisting of member 16, metal strip 32 and small sectoral piece 34. The principal object of the instant invention is to provide a fabricated corner of one-piece construction.

Generally speaking, inaccordance with the invention, a sheet is blanked or die cut to delineate two planar surfaces each having flanges extending therefrom with one planar surface and its flange being provided with a V-shaped cutout terminating along arcuate lines with a depressed tab extending from one leg of the V. The planar surfaces may be folded at right angles with respect to one another and the flanges folded inwardly toward one another to permit the formation of a smooth corner formed on the center of curvature of the arcuate lines. The tab may be utilized to secure the fabricated corner in assembled position.

The invention accordingly comprises the features of construction, combination of elements, and arrangement of parts which will be exemplified in the construction hereinafter set forth, and the scope of the invention will be indicated in the claims.

For a fuller understanding of the invention, reference is had to the following description taken in connection with the accompanying drawing, in which:

FIG. 1 is a plan view of a sheet of material blanked or die cut as taught by the instant invention for the formation of a one-piece fabricated curved corner;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a one-piece curved corner folded and fabricated from the blank of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a partial sectional view taken along line 33 of FIG. 2; and

FIG. 4 is a partial sectional view taken along line 4--4 of FIG. 2.

While the corner may be fabricated of any suitable bendable material, sheet metal is most commonly employed in articles of this type, especially when being used as frames for aquariums. The teachings of the instant invention can be used to form the top and bottom frames of an aquarium such as is illustrated in FIG. 1 of aforementioned Patent 2,792,811. By using a continuous sheet of suflicient length, all four curved corners of each frame can be formed from the single sheet.

Referring now to FIG. 1 of the attached drawing, a sheet metal blank indicated generally as 51 is blanked or die cut to define a first planar surface 52, a second planar surface 53, a first flange 54 and a second flange 55. For the circumference or developed length of the curved corner to be subsequently formed, first flange 54 is discontinuous as at 56 to permit bending of the sheet metal once the flanges are formed. A V-shaped cutout 57 comprising a first leg 58 and a second leg 59 is cut into second planar surface 53 and second flange 55. First and second arcuate lines 61 and 62 extend respectively from first and second legs 58 and 59. At the point of junction between the arcuate line and its asso ciated leg of the V-shaped cutout, the arcuate line is perpendicular to the leg. Thereafter, the curvature of Patented Nov. 22, 1966 the arcuate line is generated from the same center of curvature as the subsequently formed curved corner and each arcuate line terminates tangentially to a phantom line 63 which separates the first and second planar surfaces.

A tab 64 extends outwardly and is formed integrally with first leg 58 of the V-shaped cutout. The top surface of tab 64 is depressed so as to be at substantially the same level as the lower surface of the sheet metal blank as will be more fully described hereafter.

Referring now to FIGS. 2 through 4, the blank is formed into the one-piece corner shown in FIG. 2. The first planar surface 52 is bent at right angles to second planar surface 53 with first flange 54 being bent perpendicular to the first planar surface and with second flange 55 being bent to extend obliquely from the second planar surface. Thereafter, the center section of surface 52 defined by discontinuous portion 56 is bent to define a smooth corner in contact with the edges of the sheet defined by first and second arcuate lines 61 and 62. As the corner is formed, first and second legs 58 and 59 come into abutting contact and, because of the depressed position of tab 64, the tab underlies a portion of the corner joint as best shown in FIGS. 3 and 4. A spot weld 65 through the tab secures the one-piece fabricated corner in the developed position.

From the foregoing, it may be seen that a continuous corner with a smooth top surface may be developed from a single sheet of material thereby providing a substantially improved and less expensive fabricated frame especially adapted for use in aquarium construction. Such frames will have improved appearance in addition to being less expensive to fabricate because of the elimination of elements and spot welding operations.

It will thus be seen that the objects set forth above, among those made apparent from the preceding description, are efficiently attained and, since certain changes may be made in the above construction without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention, it is intended that all matter contained in the above description or shown in the accompanying drawing shall be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.

What is claimed is:

1. In an aquarium, a frame of relatively thin material and having at least one corner of one-piece construction, said frame, in the area of said corner, comprising a side portion extending along two sides of the aquarium and smoothly around said corner in an arc of substantially uniform radius, a first top portion integral with and extending perpendicularly from that portion of said side portion extending along two sides of the aquarium top portion terminating along a first line radial to and substantially bisecting said are of substantially uniform radius and along a second line adjacent substantially onehalf of said are of substantially uniform radius, a second top portion integral with and extending perpendicularly from that portion of said side portion along the other of said aquarium sides, said second top portion terminating along a third line in abutment with said first line and along a fourth line adjacent substantially the portion other half of said are of substantially uniform radius, a tab extending outwardly from said first top portion along said first line and underlying said second top portion, and means for securing said tab portion to said second top portion.

2. In an aquarium, a frame of relatively thin material and having at least one corner of one-piece construction, said frame, in the area of said corner, comprising a side portion extending along two sides of the aquarium and smoothly around said corner in an arc of substantially uniform radius, a first top portion integral with and extending perpendicularly from that portion of said side portion along'one of said aquarium sides, said first top portion terminating along a first line radial to and substantially bisecting said arc of substantially uniform radius and along a second line adjacent substantially onehalf of said arc of substantially uniform radius, a second top portion integral with and extending perpendicularly from that portion of said side portion along the other of said aquarium sides, said second top portion terminating along a third line in abutment with said first line and along a fourth line adjacent substantially the other half of said are of substantially uniform radius, a tab portion extending outwardly from said first top portion along said first line and underlying said second top portion,

means for securing said tab portion to said second top portion, and flange portions extending perpendicularly from said side portion along both of said sides of said aquarium, said flange portions extending from that edge of said side portion opposite the edge from which said first and second top portions extend, said flange portions being discontinuous for a length at least as long as the developed length of said are of substantially uniform radius in the area of said arc.

3. In an aquarium, a frame of relatively thin material having at least one corner of one-piece construction, said frame, in the area of said corner, comprising a side portion extending along two sides of the aquarium and smoothly around said corner in an arc of substantially uniform radius, a first top portion integral with and extending perpendicularly from that portion of said side portion along one of said aquarium sides, said first top portion terminating along a first line radial to and substantially bisecting said arc of substantially uniform radius and along a second line adjacent substantially one- 1 half of said are of substantially uniform radius, a second top portion integral with and extending perpendicularly from that portion of said side portion along the other of said aquarium sides, said second top portion terminat ing along a third line in abutment with said first line and along a fourth line adjacent substantially to other half of said are of substantially uniform'radius, and a tab secured to said first and second top portions for maintaining said portions in abutment along said first and third radial lines. 

3. IN AN AQUARIUM, A FRAME OF RELATIVELY THIN MATERIAL HAVING AT LEAST ONE CORNER OF ONE-PIECE CONSTRUCTION, SAID FRAME IN THE AREA OF SAID CORNER, COMPRISING A SIDE PORTION EXTENDING ALONG TWO SIDES OF THE AQUARIUM AND SMOOTHLY AROUND SAID CORNER IN AN ARC OF SUBSTANTIALLY UNIFORM RADIUS, A FIRST TOP PORTION INTEGRAL WITH AND EXTENDING PERPENDICULARLY FROM THAT PORTION OF SAID SIDE PORTION ALONG ONE OF SAID AQUARIUM SIDES, SAID FIRST TOP PORTION TERMINATING ALONG A FIRST LINE RADIAL TO AND SUBSTANTIALLY BISECTING SAID ARC OF SUBSTANTIALLY UNIFORM RADIUS AND ALONG A SECOND LONE ADJACENT SUBSTANTIALLY ONEHALF OF SAID ARC OF SUBSTANTIALLY UNIFORM RADIUS, A SECOND TOP PORTION INTEGRAL WITH AND EXTENDING PERPENDICULARLY FROM THAT PORTION OF SAID SIDE PORTION ALONG THE OTHER OF SAID AQUARIUM SIDES, SAID SECOND TOP PORTION TERMINATING ALONG A THIRD LINE IN ABUTMENT WITH SAID FIRST LINE AND ALONG A FOURTH LINE ADJACENT SUBSTANTIALLY TO OTHER HALF OF SAID ARC OF SUBSTANTIALLY UNIFORM RADIUS, AND A TAB SECURED TO SAID FIRST AND SECOND TOP PORTIONS FOR MAINTAINING SAID PORTIONS IN ABUTMENT ALONG SAID FIRST AND THIRD RADIAL LINES. 